Boxing history is set to be made on Saturday night, as Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez faces off against Caleb Plant for the undisputed super-middleweight title, the first clash of its type in the weight-class.
Mexico’s Canelo currently holds the WBA, WBC and WBO titles, whilst Plant of Ashland City, Tennessee is the reigning IBF super-middleweight champion, with a record of 21 wins, 12 of which came by knockout.
Canelo is by far the favorite to win the bout, however, with a stunning record of 56 wins out of 59 fights, with two draws and only one less, which came against pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweahter Jr, and which the Guadalajara-born pugilist has publicly stated he doesn’t ‘consider a loss’ – but could Plant upset the odds and earn punters a big payout?
For the hosts of the Betfred Boxing Show – former WBA and WBO lightweight champion Anthony ‘Million Dolla’ Crolla -and Dom McGuinness – and their guest Charlie Edwards, former WBC flyweight title holder, the bout ‘could be more interesting than most Canelo fights’.
Commenting on the heated build up to the fight, which had some verbal exchanges – as well as some blows at the first press conference – Crolla noted that Plant had spoken some ‘home truths’, in the words of the American, which Canelo did not take lightly.
“It’s a great fight. You’ve got to take your hat off to Canelo, for how active he is. He’s a fighter who earns what he earns and still has that hunger,” he observed, adding: “Canelo had a bit of trouble with Billy Joe Saunders, Billy Joe had success, and I believe Caleb Plant will have similar.
“This is the first time in a few years that all the belts will be on the line in the super-middleweight division. It’s the fight to be made in the super-middleweight division.”
For Crolla, Caleb Plant will cause Canelo a lot of problems which could lead to the Mexican fighter ‘forcing it’, potentially causing problems – ultimately, however he saw Canelo ‘catching up’ with his American rival to secure a 9th or 10th round stoppage after a competitive points exchange.
Edwards agreed that Plant could score some ‘early success’ in the bout using his technical skills, whilst also predicting that Canelo will ‘force it a bit more’, with all three acknowledging the bad blood between the two, which appears to have made Alvarez hungry for a knockout.
“He will be looking even more so for a stoppage and wanting to prove his point and get in Plant’s face and make it unforgettable for him,” he remarked. “I think Plant will box well for the first few rounds, then he will tire and Canelo will come back into it. It could be a late stoppage, but I’m going towards a points decision to Canelo.”
Source – Betfred YouTube Channel
